He Did It!

Finally, our school year is over and I won’t deny that I felt jealous when I saw the newsfeeds of my Facebook friends na nakabakasyon na, lalo na yung alam ko na kasabayan lang namin pumasok. I can’t help but asked “Bakit ang tagal naman ng school year na ito?” We started as early as August 8 so I was hoping na bakasyon na kami sa June like last year pero hindi. We don’t have travel plans naman pero gusto ko lang gumising ng hindi dahil sa tunog ng alarm clock. Hehehe! 

Anyway, yesterday was my son’s Recognition Day and it is one for the books because my son is part of the Overall Top and Gold Eagle Awardee. It is on his bucket list for the longest time to make it to the list but of course, it is not an easy journey. I know that the competition is hard especially if there are more or less 240 students in their grade level. 

Great achievement takes time, there is no overnight success. - Leo Tolstoy 

My husband and I never pressure him to be part of the top but we don’t want a failing grade. Last school year, he made it on the list for 3rd and 4th quarter only but now we’re happy that he is part of the overall top from 1st quarter until the final ranking. He got the 6th Honor and Gold Eagle Awardee. We’re so proud of him because his hard work paid off kahit minsan naiinis ako kasi mas marami time maggadgets kaysa mag-aral. 

If I remember right, when the third quarter came, my husband teased him that he will buy a new cellphone for him kung makakapaglakad siya sa red carpet. In our school, only overall top students + parents ang nakakapaglakad sa red carpet. The rest of the awardees, solo lang na naglalakad. Hehehe! And tinototoo naman ng anak ko and syempre, my husband bought a new cellphone. 

Also, we are glad because, after three years, we’re back to regular programming. We don’t have Face to Face or Virtual Recognition in the year 2020, we had Virtual Graduation in the year 2021 and Virtual Recognition in the year 2022. So yesterday was a moment to remember, dahil sa aming pagbabalik, nakapaglakad pa sa red carpet. We don’t know if it will ever happen again, not because I have no confidence in my son but like I said, I don’t want to pressure him, as long as he gives his best. Ang ayaw ko mangyari yung maburnout sa pag-aaral at tamarin na lalo na sa college years. 

Of course, I made a You Did It cake topper kahit hindi na naman kami nakabili ng cake. hehehe! I also made a card for him and for us. For us? Weird noh? During Recognition Practice, I read kasi na pinagdadala sila ng art materials so I asked why? My son said, gagawa daw sila ng Thank You Letter. Oh di ba, wala na surprise so gumawa na lang ako ng card and sabi ko doon na siya magsulat. And dahil hindi naman tinago ng anak ko yung card after sulatan, nabasa ko tuloy bago magRecognition so habang nag-iiyakan mga parents habang nagbabasa ng letter after Thanksgiving Song, kami ni hubby nagkatawanan na lang kasi nabasa na namin.

I used metal cutting dies, an embossing folder, and distress oxides for the card. For the cake topper, 3 layers of glitter and textured cardstock. The font is Klose Slab.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a special celebration after Recognition because we had a scheduled appointment in the afternoon so after the event, we rushed to Makati for our appointment. We just ate at Pho Hoa in Makati kung saan may available na table. Lunchtime din kasi so punuan ang mga restaurants. Bawi na lang next time, sabay-sabay na para tipid celebration. Hehehe!

Father’s Day Craft Projects

There are so many events for the month of June so I spend most of my time in crafting. After finishing my Birthday Craft Projects, I started making my Father’s Day Projects, it was funny because I only need one gift, one card, and one cake topper for my husband but since I can’t decide what designs should I give, dinamihan ko na so I have more options. 

Also, when I was organizing my craft supplies, my husband said “alam mo mas marami ka pa papel kaysa sa bookstore”. Natawa na lang ako but in my mind, kelangan ko pa talaga magcraft. Actually, it is one of my goals this year na gamitin ko yung digital files and craft supplies and tools na binili ko. So if you are reading my blogs, you will notice that I started joining craft contests or craft fests para majustify ko yung craft expenses, oops should I say investments. Hehehe! 

Shadow Box 

Anyway, my husband was not working from home last week so solong-solo ko yung room and I have more space for crafting kaya ang dami ko nagawa. I did not buy any gift for him, but I made this 3D Father’s Day Fishing Shadow Box. I like the message “Thank you for feeding me well but also teaching me how to fish”. My husband wanted to experience fishing again, ang tagal na kasi nung last experience namin so ito na yung souvenir. Hehehe! 

This SVG file needs 11 layers of cardstock, I struggled to cut the first layer because the letters are ripping maybe because it was my first time using the brand of cardstock and I am still trying different settings. It was not perfect pero hindi naman maarte asawa ko. Hehehe! 

Cake Toppers

And because of the Fishing Shadow Box, I made this 3D Dad Fishing Layered Craft. I reduced the size to 5 inches only so cutting is also a challenge because it is so thin. 

The 3D Father's Day Truck Layered Craft has 6 layers of cardstock. I have no problems with this SVG file even though I reduced it to 5 inches. 

The Best Dad Cake Topper is from Craft with Sarah, this is my favorite among the three. My husband bought a roll cake last Friday for our merienda, so nung nag Father’s Day, hindi na kami bumili ng cake so we were not able to use this cake topper. 

Father’s Day Card 

The first card that I made is the Trophy Card which you can use for Father's Day or the Birthday of your Dad. This is only 2 layers of cardstock so make sure you are using medium or heavy cardstock for the base. 

The 3D Dad Layered Craft can be a cake topper but I used it for my card. Happy Father’s Day is stamped and embossed. 

The Tools Card is from The Bearded Housewife, I changed the design a little bit and changed the message to “You have all the rights tools for being a great Dad!”. This is the card that I used for my husband. 

For the “To The Best Dad” card, I used a metal cutting die, stamps, distress oxides and ohuhu markers to make this card.

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Birthday Staycation at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar tagline is “Pride in the past, hope for the future”. It is the home of the heritage houses of the owner Jose Acuzar. These houses have been rescued, renovated, and rebuilt.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a beach resort, convention center, and heritage destination rolled into one. Indeed this is a unique destination for every traveler because there are so many things that you can experience in this resort so it is not surprising that they received a lot of awards for over a decade. 

I’ve visited open-air museums in Norway and Sweden where I was able to see old houses too but our very own Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is much better because you can stay in the heritage houses and experience what is like to live in old houses. 

I mentioned in my previous post that it’s been almost a decade since our last visit and I am glad that we were able to go back and this time, hindi na Day Trip lang, nakapag-overnight na kami. We were supposed to go back here last December when my mom was here but we were still in Da Nang, Vietnam so hindi kami nakasama sa family outing. 

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar has special offers or special promos so you can visit their website for the latest offerings. So depende na lang sa budget niyo, we did not avail any promos since our budget is limited. Hehehe! My husband just book a room accommodation on their website, full payment is required and will be charged after booking. 

We are a group of 5 people so our initial plan is to book a room for 4 people and additional payment for an extra person but we changed our mind when we learned that the extra person is PHP3200 and no extra bed. We realized that it is practical to book a room for six people and because of that, naging six na kami sa lakad namin. 

We booked the standard room for 6 people for PHP16,000 and the package includes: 

Room Accommodation 

Breakfast at Binondo Hall 

Heritage Walking Guided Tour for 30 mins to 1 hour 

Complimentary Tramvia Ride 

Complimentary Hop On and Hop Off Jeepney Ride Within the Resort 

Use of Beach and Batis-Inspired Swimming Pool 

We live in the South Luzon area so we left as early as 6AM and nagdrive thru na lang kami ng breakfast on our way to the resort. Surprisingly, our travel time is less than four hours so we were really early, check-in time is still 3PM. 

Upon arrival, the security guard gave us an “Entry Pass Check List” and instructed us to go to the reception area. It is not yet check-in time so the staff, get our luggage and store them in the luggage area. At the reception, we fill-out a form, konting orientation, and the staff gave us a map. I hope ibalik nila yung welcome drinks, iba pa rin nagagawa nito after ng mahabang biyahe. 

Anyway, from there, we rode a jeep and the driver dropped us at Casa Biňan for our 10:30AM Heritage Tour. The staff informed us na meron Mass at the La Bella Teodora but we chose the tour kasi mainit na kung sa hapon pa kami magtour. 

Heritage Tour 

We already experienced Heritage Tour during our first visit pero sa tagal na, limot ko na yung ibang information so it is nice to refresh my memory. In addition, okay din yung una naming experience kasi mas marami kami nabisita unlike ngayon na limited na and may off limits na rin sa part ng house.

At the time of our tour, we are only two groups and more than an hour din so sakto sa lunch ang tapos. For lunch, we ate at Kusina ni Maria. 

Hotel de Oriente 

After eating our lunch, we went to Hotel de Oriente as per the advice of our tour guide, we had no idea na may bayad pala which is PHP200 per head so ending hanggang entrance lang kami. Hehehe!

Tramvia Ride 

We just availed our complimentary tramvia ride from Plaza Mayor de Tobias to Dewey Blvd and vice versa. The ride is only less than 10 minutes back and forth. 

Standard Room for 6 People 

During our tramvia ride, my husband received a text that our room is ready so we are glad that we were able to check in as early as 2PM. Our room is already old, ito pa yung mga nauna na rooms so you can see signs of wear and tear but my husband still chose this room since mas malapit kami sa lahat and hindi mahihirapan yung mother-in-law ko na nakawheelchair. Other room options yung bandang beach area. 

The room is big. We have a living room and bathroom on the first floor, one bed and bathroom on the second floor, and 2 beds in the loft area. The downside of this room, madilim kahit nakabukas ang ilaw. No hot water in the bathroom. 

Cultural Show 

After taking a nap, we watched the Cultural Show at the Paseo de Escolta, the show is less than an hour din. I think sa Villa Escudero pa yung last panood ko ng Cultural Show. It was a good show so we finished it even though we knew na late kami makakapagdinner. We had dinner at La Bella Teodora. 

Swimming Pool 

The following day, after our Buffet Breakfast at Binondo Hall. we spent our remaining time in touring the other part of the resort pero hindi pa rin namin naikot lahat. We had a quick deep at the Batis Inspired Swimming Pool pero hindi kami tumagal kasi nangangati kami. I hope they won’t forget to clean and maintain the pool. 

There are more activities that you can do so bitin talaga kung overnight lang but we still enjoyed our trip kasi ang tagal din nung last na alis namin which reminded me na hindi ko pa naiblog yung La Chevrerie. Check out is 12PM but we left as early as 10AM para sa labas na kami maglunch. 

Activities: 

Lola Basyang Storytelling 2:30PM at Casa Lubao 

Freedomland Show AM/PM 

Cultural Show 6PM 

Film Showing at 7PM at Casa Lubao 

Arts and Crafts Workshop PHP1,000/head 

Balsa and Gondola Tours PHP600/head 

Balsa Breakfast PHP3500 for 5 pax PHP1,000 for additional person 

Balsa with Meal PHP5,000 for 5 pax 

Hotel de Oriente Viewing PHP200/head 

Kalesa Ride PHP75 per head 

Golf Cart PHP750/per hour

Watch the video here

Read: Food Trip at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar  

Day Trip at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar 

Food Trip at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

It’s been almost a decade since our last visit to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar and as far as I can remember, there is only one restaurant during our first visit but now, they have six restaurants and bars. So even though food and beverage are not allowed inside the resort, you will not go hungry or thirsty. In addition, they offer different cuisines like Filipino, Italian, and Spanish. 

Binondo Hall - Breakfast Buffet 

Cafe Del Rio - Spanish Tapas Bar 

Dapitan Bar - Beach Bar 

Kusina ni Nanay Maria - Filipino Cuisine 

La Bella Teodora - Italian Cuisine 

La Parilla and Pica - Filipino Delicacies Snack bar 

Since we only stayed for 2 days and 1 night we only tried 3 restaurants for our lunch, dinner, and breakfast. 

Lunch at Kusina ni Nanay Maria 

After our Heritage Tour, we immediately went to Kusina ni Nanay Maria for our lunch. This is where we ate our lunch too when we had our Day Trip at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar but now, they have a separate venue for day-trippers. 

I was a little bit sad because the menu has changed already, akala ko kasi maoorder ko yung dating kinain namin. Hehehe! Kusina ni Nanay Maria offers Filipino dishes that are good for singles and families. For family combos, they offer 4 sets that are good for 4 persons but we are a group of 6 so we decided to order, a la carte na lang. 

Kusina ni Maria Menu 

There are only few options, we ordered Lechon Carajay PHP710, Kare-Kare PHP780, Pinakbet PHP490, Laing PHP380, Rice PHP75 per cup, and Softdrink in Can PHP125. 

We waited for more than 30 minutes before our food was served and I was surprised when I saw the serving, konti lang pala so I was thinking kung kakasya ba sa amin. Buti nagkasya naman. We were satisfied with the taste of the food but we were shocked that their version of Laing is different, walang gata? 

Dinner at La Bella Teodora 

For our dinner, we are choosing between Cafe del Rio or La Bella Teodora but we chose the latter because it is near. We just finished watching the Cultural Show at Paseo de Escolta, so malayo ang Cafe del Rio. 

La Bella Teodora is named after Teodora Alonzo because it is beside Casa Biňan. This restaurant serves Italian food like brick-oven pizzas, pasta, grilled meat, and seafood. There is also an acoustic band here where you can also request a song.

Browsing the menu is hard, madilim kasi yung restaurant so we need to use our phone flashlight pa para lang makita namin. The rate of the food is more expensive compared to Kusina ni Maria, good thing na mahina kami kumain kapag dinner. Just like the quote “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” 

La Bella Teodora Menu 

We ordered Margherita Pizza PHP630, Insalata Mista PHP450, Carbonara PHP695, Braciola Di Maiale PHP850, and Azimut Sparkling Wine PHP965. While waiting for our food, they served complimentary bread. 

It was already past seven so I really appreciate their fast service, mas mabilis ang serving ng food dito.

But I was a little bit disappointed with the Braciola Di Maiale because according to the menu “Grilled Pork Chops with Italian Herbs and homemade Mashed Potatoes”. So in my mind, 2 pieces of pork chops just like the pork chops that I ordered at Apartment 1B, 2 pieces of porkchops na magkapatong. But I was wrong because there is only one pork chop so the PHP850 is good for one person lang pala. 

Buffet Breakfast at Binondo Hall 

The buffet breakfast starts at 7AM pero wala pa 7AM ang dami ng tao sa labas ng Binondo Hall. I overheard other guests na sobrang late daw ng 7AM breakfast, hindi sanay ang mga working people and senior citizens. I am not surprised because the breakfast time was also too late for us na sanay sa 5:30AM breakfast especially since I have a student na maaga pumapasok. 

Anyway, the door was opened at exactly 7AM so the guests were all happy. I was excited about the buffet breakfast but unfortunately, the options are very limited. Imagine for the main viands, tuyo and sweet longganisa lang ang options. 

Enumerating the buffet spread during our trip. 

Fruits 

Salad 

Homemade Potatoes 

Plain Rice 

Pansit Bihon 

Tuyo 

Sweet Longganisa 

Congee 

Lomi Soup 

Waffles 

Scrambled Egg 

Sunny Side Up Egg 

Boiled Egg 

Bread 

Biko 

Lansong Mais 

Puto Cheese 

Melon Juice 

Watermelon Juice 

Coffee 

I am thankful for the scrambled egg and sunny side up egg, may naulam ako. So if you plan to go here, don’t expect too much sa buffet breakfast. Nabusog naman ako sa kakanin. 

Read: Day Trip at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar 

Birthday Staycation at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Breakfast at Binondo Hall - 7 - 10AM

Day Tour Binondo Hall (Set Lunch) 12 - 4PM

La Bella Teodora  and Kusina ni Maria

12 - 4PM Lunch

6-10PM Dinner

Cafe Del Rio 3-10PM